How to Bake Marinated Turkey Cutlets
Marinating turkey cutlets gives you lots of flavoring flexibility with minimal effort. Turkey cutlets don't take long to bake in the oven, making them convenient. Anything you'd use to flavor chicken breasts or cutlets works just as well for turkey cutlets. This high-protein entree satisfies without as much saturated fat and cholesterol as beef and other red meats. Along with fish and legumes, skinless poultry should be one of your go-to sources of lean protein, as the American Heart Association suggests.
Step 1
Mix equal parts acidic liquid and cooking oil in a glass or ceramic dish, making enough to submerse the turkey cutlets. Soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, fruit juice and wine are acidic liquids. Add salt and pepper to taste, along with complementary herbs and spices. Minced ginger and garlic work well with soy or teriyaki sauce for an Asian-influenced preparation, while rosemary, dill, citrus zest, honey or brown sugar go with orange or pineapple juice. Try basil, thyme, rosemary, tarragon, an Italian or Tuscan seasoning mix or herbes de Provence with a wine-based marinade.
Step 2
Trim the fat off the turkey cutlets with a sharp knife. Put them in the marinade and cover the dish with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the marinating cutlets for one to four hours.
Step 3
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit 20 to 30 minutes before the end of the marination time. Cover a baking tray with foil and grease it lightly with cooking oil or a nonstick cooking spray.
Step 4
Remove the turkey from the marinade and let the excess run off back into the dish. Lay the cutlets on the lined baking tray, leaving space between them. Put them into the oven and bake them for about 15 minutes. Cooking time varies by cutlet thickness, oven temperature accuracy and other factors, so it's only an estimate. Turkey should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 F, but most meat thermometers won't work reliably on such a thin piece of meat. The cutlets are fully cooked when you can cut into their centers and the juices run clear.
Things You'll Need
Glass or ceramic dish
Acidic liquid
Cooking oil
Salt and pepper
Herbs and spices
Knife
Plastic wrap
Baking tray
Aluminum foil
Tip
Transfer the marinade to a saucepan if you'd like to use it as a sauce. Bring it to a full boil for five minutes to sterilize it after contamination by raw poultry. The longer the turkey marinades, the more intense the flavor. Because cutlets are thin, you risk negatively affecting their texture with a lengthier soak time in an acidic ingredient.
Warning
Store fresh turkey breasts or cutlets below 40 F. Cook or freeze it within two days of purchase.
